Thumper Club Forum
Technical => Bike Problems/Questions => Topic started by: richardeblack on September 17, 2020, 09:28:01 AM
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Hello All,
Long time since I visited, so many projects on the go that I have neglected my faithful XBR.
As a result of fitting oilite bushes in my swinging arm and using grease instead of gearbox oil (discovered that on the Norton forum) my swinging arm spindle is now seriously worn. I have been looking through my collection of spares from old bikes and have not yet found a really good one.
Does anyone know of anywhere I can get one? As far as I can find, it is discontinued and seems only to have been used on the XBR and GB500s. If not available, I might try getting the journals ground back and making a sleeve to go over it.
I am happy to cut down/get reground another one that might be a close match.
Any suggestions welcome.
As soon as I can find my measuring kit I will add dimensions of what I think it should be. Unfortunately these aren't in the workshop manual.
Many thanks.
Richard.
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Phew, found a spindle at the bottom of a box, virtually unworn.
Now reluctant to go down the route of bronze bushes and possibly wreck the last good spindle. Don't want to sent a small fortune to David Silver for original plastic bushes.
Has anyone tried needle rollers? Does anyone know what the plastic is the standard bushes are made of?
Any good ideas welcome.
Cheers,
Richard.
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Aye Richard,
This maybe worthy of consideration. BayPlastics_oilfillednylon (http://www.bayplastics.co.uk/oilfillednylon.htm)
I suspect that the standard bushes were made from an unlubricated hard engineering nylon, it comes in a host of different specifications!
Good health, Bill
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Hi Richard
Trying to recall if we met many years ago at the early annual rallies when they were held in Abergavenny and near Hay-on-Wye. If so there must be considerable mileage on your XBR. I'm not sure what material the swing arm collars are made of but I'm afraid you may have to go down the route of ordering from Dave Silver - Wemoto used to list them but I've noticed they aren't shown any more and a Google search has drawn a blank. Maybe if you are starting from scratch with a good / new spindle then the OE sleeves are the best option with regular maintenance (a bit of a pain).
I'm in a similar position to yourself and the thought of paying £36 for two small pieces of plastic is painful - not helped by their bizarre P&P arrangement which costs us an additional £13.95 for postage to Northern Ireland. I think I'll be giving them a call in the morning to try and haggle that figure downwards!
Regards
Tony
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Aye Tony,
If you wish I would be happy to be a post box, if it helps.
My regards, Bill
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Thanks Bill, that might be a future option - I think they should be ok about it as its a small package. I think CMSNL is even worse
Regards
Tony
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Aye Tony,
Bushes! A member of the Ducati forum that I frequent has just had some made up by this company for his swingarm pivot, in brass and he was impressed by the accuracy, finish, speed of return and price.
You could do worse than give the company a call. ;)
bushes2u (https://www.bushes2u.com/)
Good health, Bill
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Bill... I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. YOU are the font of all (motorcycle) knowledge. You never fail to impress me with the amount of stuff, you know. 👍
Cheers, Michael
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Bill... I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. YOU are the font of all (motorcycle) knowledge. You never fail to impress me with the amount of stuff, you know. 👍
Cheers, Michael
I thought this yesterday when Bill described that H2 chop as having, "Tiller steering". Made perfect sense, although for all I know, he might just be a wordsmith who makes it up as he goes along to amuse himself🤔😜
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Gentlemen, thank you for your compliments. Some would say it's verbal .......! ;D
However, I used to have to write technical reports that were unambiguous and factually correct, I also enjoy crossword puzzles (easy ones that aren't cryptic ::) ) and using colloquial language or dialect to describe things, finally I read a bit.
I might not know, but I can give Google a poke or Search some one make club sites to give me a reasonable answer.
Good health, Bill
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Gentlemen, thank you for your compliments. I enjoy crossword puzzles (easy ones that aren't cryptic ::) )
Good health, Bill
Ah... that explains it all, inspector Morse used to do crosswords and he was dead clever too 😉👍
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Have you thought of PTFE. You can buy it off the shelf in different grades. I am sure there would be one that would be suitable to turn up on a lathe.
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Thanks for the info Bill.
Regards
Tony
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That's a handy link - bookmarked.
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Thank you all for various suggestions. All very useful.
I have rebuilt it for now with a couple of salvaged good plastic bushes and a good spindle. Not really happy but it will do for now.
I think I will make up a swinging arm with another good spindle I have and use needle rollers (I have found some the right size and 20mm long so will use 2 on each side). I will certainly try making some on the lathe using that oil filled Nylon (thanks Bill for the two suggestions) although I will contact them and check if I should pump oil into the swinging arm rather than grease which is, I think, what destroyed the Oilite bushes and spindle. I certainly won't use metal bushes again.
I did find one place in Germany which still seems to sell the spindle for 33 Euros but do wonder if they actually have any as no one else has them or can get them now. I suspect that having my old ones metal sprayed and reground or sleeved is the only option when I finally run out of usable ones.
I was going to use the swinging arm off a project XBR I have in the garage waiting to be finished and sold but can't get the bolt out of the spindle. Must be rusted into the spindle! Not sure what to do about it really as no way to get heat on the bolt. Soaking it in penetrating oil but not hopeful. I'll probably just put it back together and make sure the new owner knows about it.
Yes Tony, I went to the early gatherings and was just looking at my original membership card the other day which I think is number 003!
The XBR I am using at the moment I have only had for 10 years but have all the ones I have owned. My first one got stolen and recovered and written off by the insurance (I bought it back and the swinging arm I have just fitted comes from that one). Number one had 15,000 miles when bought and 89,000 when written off. Number two had about 70,000 when bought and (if I remember correctly) 145,000 when the frame finally rusted through in several places. Number 3 came from a good friend Mark (who came on the very first club ride out a long long time ago) and was already at about 100,000 and finished with about 150,000. My current one was 60,000 when bought and now has 113,000. I rekon that over the last 25 years I have done about 250,000 miles on XBRs. Not one of them gave me any engine trouble at all except that I have had 3 spark plugs break off in the cylinder head due to salty water collecting and drying out on the plugs and rotting out the steel parts.
I love the XBR and wouldn't be without one now, luckily I still have many good spares left except things like exhaust systems which are rare and stupidly expensive.
I hope that when all this crazyness is over I can get to catch up with everyone again.
Thanks everyone for the help and support.
Richard.
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Pleasure Richard, good health, Bill
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And to you Bill, and to all on the forum. I hope I will see some of you again when (if) life starts up again in a year or so.
Thanks All.
Richard.
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Richard if all else fails (and I sincerely hope it doesn't!), you could always use a white nylon type material called "Delrin".I have had to machine bushes/ bearings for many years out of this stuff. It is very hard wearing and easily machined. I don't know if I have any off cuts stashed away but I will certainly look now. If you could supply dimensions I would gladly knock up a couple for you to try.
HTH if you are still stuck
Ian 👍
PS. I am not familiar with the XBR setup but is it possible to drill/tap the spindle and fit a grease nipple?
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Thanks Ian,
The XBR has a grease nipple on the arm itself so I can pump some in. I will have a look for Delrin and get some for the next project bike.
Thanks very much.
Richard.